"It’s never easy releasing a player, but it's especially difficult when a young man's opportunity is taken away from him because of an injury,” general manager Ted Thompson said via the team's website. “Johnathan is a great person, a wonderful teammate, and a man that lives by his faith. The Packers are fortunate to have had the chance to work with him and we know that he will excel in whatever the future holds for him. He will always be a member of the Packers family.”

Packers teammate Datone Jones, who was also recruited by UCLA with Franklin, was shocked by the news.

“I talked to him and he said I keep my faith first. I believe if this wasn’t it, it was a sign from God that I may have to pursue something else in life,” Jones said, via the Green Bay Press-Gazette's Mike Vandermause. “The run was great. We all know coming into this game any day your career can be over. It was sad for me because not only is he my neighbor, he’s one of my good friends I’ve known since high school. I know how much we worked for it, even this offseason, how much we worked for it. It’s tough to see it end this way for a guy like that.”

Ryan Wilson has been an NFL writer for CBS Sports since June 2011, and he's covered five Super Bowls in that time. Ryan previously worked at AOL's FanHouse from start to finish, and Football Outsiders...
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